4-week fasting countdown to February 2024!

[Peae]

Welcome all, this a thread for Intermittent Fasters who want a weekly check-in on Fridays. Chat between the check-ins are welcome too, share as little or as much as you like. Each Friday, log your weight, fast, whatever metrics help you.

Check-in 0 Friday 5 January.
Check-in 1 Friday 12 January.
Check-in 2 Friday 19 January.
Check-in 3 Friday 26 January.
Check-in 4 Friday 2 February.

Loving hearing about your energy @Saraswati - very good news!

@Clearingaspace - yes, getting back into the rhythms of termtime really helps me ... so look forward to having that structure

My sleep is still up the spout but once sorted, I am expecting new energy and clarity... agree with early nights @StealthLaSilkySightHound - and wow, loving all the info you are sharing. I'm lucky enough to have a bit of an hourglass figure, so even when very overweight I still measure less than half my height... which I guess is good for my health, but Im longing to get back into some favourite skirts again.. a few inches to go!!

Now to put all my measurements into that calculator - and WOW!!!! So impressed by your cycling thru this abominable weather... utterly amazing and I hope you can chant all our names in your head if you feel your resolve faltering: we are cheering you on!!

Today felt SO good... the first day this year when I have eaten in a 90 minute window and just had one big meal... phew, this is me and how I relish eating a few times a week after far too many double-meal days including puds or chocolate. Looking forward to the next one on Wednesday and then hopefully Thursday too.

It's great isn't it @StealthLaSilkySightHound ?

Less great is my calculating my body fat... think something went wrong with my calculation - it came out at 98%!!!!!!!! Yup, even me couldnt quite be that...

I used to be quite good at Maths but have definitely forgotten how to do these things..... If anyone fancies doing it for me I would be hugely grateful... or even giving me the heads up on how to...
In inches, as they stated -
Waist: 31, Hips 42, Neck 13, Height 67.

Mmm Camembert... a wee bit jealous... one of my favourite cheeses.... That might be my treat a couple of weeks into successful IF....

I'd say we're pretty much level-pegging ... let's see where we both are in six weeks!!

Huge thanks for calculating that @StealthLaSilkySightHound - and rather impressed by the ease with which you are doing it!!

Great to hear people are getting into the zone as the term starts!

Baked camembert and crusty bread was my New Year’s Eve dinner - so delicious.

I did work out my bf etc when I first started - think I was more than 50%. Thanks for the reminder to check hopefully I will be less than half fat now…

@Fullsteamahead are you doing the 3 day fast in the end - I think my period has started early so I am going to start a long fast and see how I get on - very unlikely to be close to 72 hours but hopefully I will last longer than my previous longest fast which was 41 hours

I struggled with Monday morning. It was cold, dark and early. However I forced myself to walk to work and I fasted until 12:15 due to commitments. Very good Zoe scores all day. Then went out for tea. Hey ho.

I sure am 💪🏼
Reading about delicious cheese and bread is killing me now though.
Currently almost at 30 hours, the longest I've ever fasted. There's a WhatsApp group for those doing it right now. People are super supportive and I can send you a link if you'd like to join us.

@Fullsteamahead Well done on 30 hours! I think as I am very far behind I probably wouldn’t join the WhatsApp group. Good luck for the rest of the evening - so satisfying to wake up in the morning and knock off a chunk of hours!

Well done on walking to work in the freezing @Peae - I was in the office today and it really did suck having to get up early.

@StealthLaSilkySightHound love the imagery! Yes let’s imagine the fasting autophagy happening over the winter is extra powerful in the freezing weather (cold therapy 😉) and we will all be renewed in the spring!

Going to catch up later, it I did manage to check in with weight on Friday (11st10 so plenty go at) and first fast day yesterday. Remarkably peaceful, sleep was a bit rubbish as expected but enjoying the early loss of excess water: hello, third row of bra-strap catches, haven't needed you in a long while.
Day 23/24 is Wednesday, which is my first academic teaching practice lesson ( as a student) so hopefully stomach won't grumble too loudly...

I still dont really understand how fasting works - why doesnt the body go into the "starvation" mode we have always been warned about?

"If you dont eat enough your body goes into that mode and clings onto the fat/weight!"

I have tried googling, but just get caught in a loop of unanswered questions 😁

@FastingPhilly There is info about this on dr fung’s the fasting method pages, but it is really difficult to search topics on there. Basically when you fast your insulin drops opening the ‘door’ to your stored body fat which can’t be accessed when other immediate energy is available- your body uses that stored fat for energy so is not starving. Your body even manufactures protein somehow during fasting with a side effect that people who lose weight through fasting may have less excess skin after weightloss than through a normal calorie counting diet - I think this is through autophagy. Apparently after 3 days fasting your metabolism actually increases - which is weird. Apologies if I have got any of the above wrong. I guess at some point if someone didn’t have stored body fat that is when starvation would become an issue?

well done on your nsv @Notmycircusnotmydonkeys

and clearly I am failing on my getting to bed targets as it’s nearly 1:00!

Thanks @Clearingaspace that's really interesting, and helpful!

Definitely worth thinking of warmer weather clothes! Thank you Stealth x

@Clearingaspace

This is a similar info as I gathered from Fast Like a girl book and from Mindy Pelz's YouTube videos.

@Fullsteamahead how are you doing? I am at hour 21 and struggling more than I should be! Ideally I want to get past 41. I had set my app for 60 but I really don’t think I am aiming for that anymore!

I looked like a short, fat, assassin pahahaha! I am sure you didnt really, but that description did make me laugh 😂

Well done you though @StealthLaSilkySightHound! Sounds like a very positive day.

I went to Aldi today, and just a tip! Their own brand chicken in white sauce has zero carbs. I almost fainted with excitement. I love it with peas which are full of protein too. Not overly cheap (£1.87 a tin I think, so cheaper than Tesco, and MnS which I used to get but is now over £4 a tin 😮 ) but great for a speedy no carb meal. Very filling too.

@Clearingaspace
I'm doing really well now. Dopamine has definitely kicked in at around 47 hour mark and apart from still feeling very cold I'm feeling fantastic! I keep thinking about all the incredible healing that's happening in my body now.
If you start feeling faint just break the fast, you could always try again at another point. And drink lots of water (ideally with a tiny bit of salt in it)

@StealthLaSilkySightHound
Please never stop writing, you have such a wonderful way with words! Lyrical, funny and witty in equal measures!